Omaha daily bee., 1887-11-06

young, handsome, educated, most
daring and unscrupulous scoundrel. He
is Il native of this country and knows it
well. He has risen to fame in the past
three months through methods peculi-
arly his own. He has not gone in for
highway. mail or train robbery. He
has learned the methods OF Italian
brigands, and follows them exactly. His
system includes capture, Violent mis-
treatment and heavy ransom or death.
His first victim was Senior BerrenO.
This gentleman was found near his
home, knocked down, beaten, bound
hand and foot and tied on a horse, then
driven for a day and night through
the brush. During all this time he
was blindfolded and given neither
water nor food. On the arrival at the
robbers headquarters, of whose loca-
tion he is entirely ignorant, he was
held for twenty-one days, until | myself
paid the 81 600 ransom demanded for his
release. He was half starved, kicked,
lashed and burned daily during all this
time, and was in hourly dread of losing
his teeth, it being n favorite threat of
Suerrante to extract them all, and
send them as presents to his friends. l
paid the money because | knew it was a
matter of life or death with him. 1t thas
seventy years of age and the exposure
and brutality to which he was subjected
have since resulted in his death. Ow-
ing to the fact that | have little
money and Suerrante's friends knowing
it, have been expecting the levying of
an assessment.
Il left Roma five days ago under the
guard of six armed men, who escorted
me as far as Pena Station, on the Mexi-
can National railway. BY Associated
press dispatches of this morning / see
that the expected demand has been
| made upon me since my departure, also
| upon Senior De Onacio Garcia, of Rio
Grande city. They want $4,000 from
/ him and $S 600 from me. My part of it,
| at least, they are not likely to get. The
| governor has of course promised the aid
of the sta1e troops, but L don't see the
, good that they can do, owing not only
to the difficulty of the country and Seur-
rante's secure binding place, but the
fact that nearly all of the poorer classes
are in league with the band and pur-
posely hide theirden and cover up their
tracks. / estimate that some twenty
five men belong to the gang.
"Suerrante is II magnificent rascal,
who spends his ill-gotten gains very
freely, and is uniformly kind to the
poor. They have, consequently, in
vested him with good deal of romance,
and many of them serve him and are
ready to join him at any moment.
have no hesitency in predicting a des-
perate battle in the region within the
next month, and 1 am by no means sure
that Suerrante will get the worst of it,
He has been extending his operations
into Mexico, and / understand tina,
authorities and soldiers on the other
side of the river are on the qui vive
He may be caught between the two fires
and he may not. He is very smart
man."
Senor Guerra states that he will con.
tinue his northern trip, though he is ex.
tremely fearful of the destruction of his
property during his absence. The
widely spread information of the depre
dations has caused intense excitement
throughout this portion of the state .anG
volunteers for clearing out Starr anG
Hidalgo counties of the bandits are
numerous.